Leaving our comfortable living room behind, Lyra and I stepped further into the depths of the dungeon.
Along the way, next to the faintly glowing moss growing on the walls, there were many cute mushrooms sprouting.
The blue board called a System displayed the disturbing name [Deadly Hallucinogenic Mushroom (Death Fungus)], but to me, who was raised on the miasma of Hell, they look like they would make a nice, spicy seasoning. I asked Lyra to harvest a basketful of them.
"My Lady, from the space ahead, I can smell mana of a density incomparable to the small fry we have encountered so far. It seems the Master of this filthy hovel is seated there."
Lyra reported respectfully, holding the silver tray she had pulled from her shadow (with the mushrooms on it) in one hand.
"Oh my. That is something to look forward to. If it's a magnificent Master, I'm sure it will produce a good broth, or perhaps it has become deliciously marbled meat."
I lightly lifted the hem of the light blue dress I had chosen for our stroll and proceeded with a skipping step. With nothing but naps and tea parties every day, my body gets a bit dull.
I must do some moderate exercise (also known as cooking) to work up an appetite every now and then.
Beyond the long passageway spread a breathtakingly vast underground space.
It was a terrain resembling a bowl-shaped arena, and surprisingly, a large hole was open in the ceiling far above, allowing beautiful pale blue moonlight to shine down and illuminate the center of the space like a spotlight.
"How pretty... To be able to cook under the moonlight even deep inside a cave, how wonderful."
"Indeed. There is no lighting more fitting for the stage where Your Ladyship will wield her kitchen knife."
It was the moment we stepped into the center of the moonlit plaza.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE...!!
With a roar like an earthquake, the rock wall at the back of the arena shattered, and a massive shadow revealed itself under the moonlight.
It was a gigantic, four-legged dragon, so large you had to look up at it, its entire body covered in thick, steel-like rock scales. Several sharp horns grew from its head like a crown, and with every step it took, the ground shook violently with a thud, thud.
Ping!
[Warning: Dungeon Boss [Ancient Earth Dragon] has awakened.]
[Estimated Level: S-Rank. This is a nation-toppling class disaster. Flee immediately—]
[...System Error. The target's mana value has exceeded the measurable limit. Logging suspended.]
The blue board was flashing noisily again, but my eyes were glued to the massive dragon's thighs, which glinted dully in the moonlight.
"Lyra, look. Those magnificent hind legs. That is absolutely some premium red meat. And the base of that tail... if we simmer it slowly, I think it would make a wonderful stew that melts in the mouth."
"I am in awe of Your Ladyship's superb aesthetic eye. Then I shall immediately fillet it into three pieces—"
Lyra's fingertips began to change into sharp blades, but I gently stopped her with my hand.
"No, Lyra. I will do it this time. It's a rare moonlit picnic, and I was just getting a little bored."
I stepped forward.
The massive Earth Dragon looked down at tiny me and blew a hiss of hot steam from its nose.
Perhaps feeling an instinctive terror at the lethal miasma drifting from me, its golden pupils contracted to their absolute limit, and its rock scales clattered noisily in vigilance.
"GRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAARRR!!"
Painting over its fear with anger, the Earth Dragon looked to the heavens and let out an eardrum-shattering roar.
The next moment, the dragon inhaled deeply, and an overwhelming amount of earth and fire magic power began to converge in its mouth. It was the preparatory motion for an ultimate breath attack that seemed to distort space itself.
"My, my. The heat is too strong. If you scorch it that much, you'll ruin the flavor of the meat, won't you?"
I sighed and pointed my right index finger just slightly upward.
WHOOOOOOOOSH!!
What was unleashed from the dragon's mouth was a ray of destruction, a mixture of rock fragments and ultra-high heat magma.
That muddy stream, which could probably blow away the royal capital's castle walls in a single strike, surged toward me, swallowing the moonlight.
"[Absolute Silence]."
As I drew a line in the air with my fingertip, the approaching muddy stream of magma collided with an invisible wall in the space just a few dozen centimeters before my eyes, and just like that, with a shatter like candy glass breaking with a sound, it turned into countless particles of light and dispersed like mist.
Neither the heat, nor the shockwave, nor even the sound could cross the "dining table" I had set.
"...Pigi?"
The Earth Dragon let out a foolish squeal, as if it had seen something unbelievable.
It was no wonder. Its strongest attack - which had likely reigned over this dungeon for hundreds of years and turned visiting adventurers to dust - had been annihilated by a little girl's single finger.
"Now, shall we continue with the prep work? First, we need to pound the meat a little to tenderize it."
Under the moonlight, I floated lightly into the air as if dancing an elegant step.
Looking down at the dragon from the sky, I opened a cute, frilled parasol (generated with magic power) with a snap.
"[Crushing Mallet]."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAH!!?"
The moment I pointed the handle of the parasol slightly downward, an invisible gravity weighing tens of thousands of tons struck the Earth Dragon's back directly.
Its thick rock scales shattered with a crackling sound, and the arena ground caved in several more meters into a bowl shape.
The dragon was flattened onto all fours and, unable to withstand the pressure, blew blood bubbles from its mouth.
The System Screen kindly informed me: [80% of the target's skeleton has been pulverized.] Yes, that should have tenderized the meat quite a bit.
"Now then, next we need to skin it and make some beautiful fillets."
Standing before the screaming, massive ingredient, I rested the parasol on my shoulder and held out my free right hand, as if to scoop up the moonlight.
At my fingertips formed a white, shining, invisible blade that locked the very fault lines of space into place.
"Please stay still. If you thrash about, the cuts will be messy."
The dragon twisted its giant body desperately trying to escape, thrusting countless rock spears up from the ground to skewer me.
However, the moment those spears touched the miasma of Hell drifting around me, they crumbled into dry sand.
"[Moonlit Dismantling Technique]."
Like a conductor waving a baton, I swung my right hand lightly and smoothly three times.
Swish, swish, swish.
There was no resistance, not even the sound of bone being severed. Only a few silver lines flashed in the beautiful moonlight.
"..."
The Earth Dragon's movements stopped completely.
One second, two seconds.
And then.
Slip...
THUD.
The massive dragon's body was sliced into magnificently beautiful blocks - head, thighs, torso, and tail - and collapsed to the ground.
Not a single drop of blood was shed. Because simultaneously with the severing, my magic stitched the space of the cross-sections together, packaging it while preserving ultimate freshness.
The rock scales peeled off cleanly, and blocks of beautifully marbled red meat rolled glossily under the moonlight.
Ping!
[Dungeon Boss has been... subjugated... no, dismantled.]
[Title [Chef of the Dragons] acquired.]
[Message from the System: Please stop.]
"Phew. That was good exercise."
I floated gently down from the sky and stood before the cleanly cut blocks of meat.
Each piece looked like it weighed several tons, yet every single one was trimmed into an artistically perfect square.
"Brilliant, My Lady! To think you would instantly transform that clumsy lizard into such beautiful premium ingredients! My heart feels as though it might burst from emotion!"
Lyra came running over, her eyes sparkling brightly as she applauded.
"Yes, it is very high-quality meat. This will be exquisite whether we make it into steak or beef stew. Lyra, please store all of this in the Shadow pantry."
"As you wish!"
When Lyra spread her shadow, the multi-ton blocks of meat were swallowed into the darkness one after another.
With this massive amount of ingredients, even if we hole up in this cave for a while, our dining table will never be lonely.
"Now, shall we return to our room? Moving my body so much has made me starving. Tonight's dinner is decided: an extra-large steak using this meat."
"Yes, My Lady! I shall grill it for you with the absolute perfect heat!"
We turned our backs on the empty arena illuminated by the moonlight.
What flavor sauce should we use for dinner tonight? Thinking only of such peaceful and delicious things, we set off on our way back to our new home with a light step.